Would you believe that in 45 years of hunting deer, I have never owned a 7mm or a Winchester deer rifle!
Why? I do not know. I have seen some nice pre-64’s but they were over priced and / or in a caliber that was of no interest to me. Most of the post-64’s have no appeal to me. I do like the lines of the Featherweight stocks but they feel heavy and chunky in my hand.
So, what I’m thinking is maybe building 7x57 on a Winchester action in Featherweight style stock (but maybe lighter and slimmer).
Please, let me know what you think of this idea. And do you think I can keep the cost under $2,000?
It would be a sweet rifle, and yes it can be done easily.
Ex- USN (SS) '66-'69 Pro-Constitution. LET'S GO BRANDON!!!
The first centerfire I bought for myself was a 7RM built around a Husky barrelled action and a custom stock. It kills like the hammer of Thor ... belt or not.
A few years ago I picked up a sweet little customised Mex.Mau. in 7X57 for $200.00. It kills like a .270 with less recoil, just like O'Conner said it would 40 years ago. I've killed so many deer with it I'm afraid Bush will classify it "a weapon of mass destruction'.
Before my sun sets I will own a .280 ... just because. And, when my sun does set, both the 7RM and the 7X57 will be in my safe. Sadly, I've never owned a Mod.70, but, if one shows up within reach in 7WSM, it will likely be in the safe,too.
cole k: you never indicated if you would consider an already made Winchester Model 70 Featherweight XTR in 7x57mm. There's one on the auction block right now on GunBroker.com. It is listed under 82583724. If you want to lighten up even more, then buy a McMillan featherweight stock at 21 ounces or so. Good luck ... Tom Purdom
Would you believe that in 45 years of hunting deer, I have never owned a 7mm or a Winchester deer rifle!
Why? I do not know. I have seen some nice pre-64’s but they were over priced and / or in a caliber that was of no interest to me. Most of the post-64’s have no appeal to me. I do like the lines of the Featherweight stocks but they feel heavy and chunky in my hand.
So, what I’m thinking is maybe building 7x57 on a Winchester action in Featherweight style stock (but maybe lighter and slimmer).
Please, let me know what you think of this idea. And do you think I can keep the cost under $2,000?
It would be a sweet rifle, and yes it can be done easily.
Cole, Yes, it will be a sweet rifle! I am having Redneck build my lefty M70 in 7X57. You cannot find a better smith, and, this will be my third M70 build that he has done for me this year. Best of luck with your project! Oh, don't use the Winchester short action, it is to short! If you wish a "short" action tailor made for the 7X57, then look at the Montana action. I have no experience with them, but, the mag box is 3.125...perfect for this perfect cartridge!
....If you love LIGHTWEIGHT rifles and can up the ante just a bit 'north' of your $2,000. budget , look into a New Ultralight Arms rifle from Melvin Forbes in 7X57, or .284 Winchester. Such a rifle will be superbly accurate, VERY LIGHTWEIGHT, and balance as a fine hunting arm should. .......The Winchester model 70, sweet as it is, simply is not ideal for the 7X57, which, as has been pointed out, is a bit long for the Winchester short action, and a bit short for the standard length action. In a push feed no big shakes, but in a control feed action BEST reliability would dictate the short action, and limit full house loads to the lighter projectiles. Heavier bullets, 160 grain stuff,would start taking powder space.
....P.S. The Ruger RSI in 7X57 mentioned in an above post would be sweet indeed, but it is a push feed if that bugs you, and it's shorter barrel costs a little speed while adding a bit more POP! Also the Early Ruger's with the tang safety have triggers that require upgrade, at least if you have more than a couple seasons behind a rifle..The good news is that today, drop in quality replacements are available and are reasonably priced. Back when those guns were made fixing the trigger was more problematic.
A push feed for mainly deer hunting is not a big deal to me. If it was I could always re-barrel my 8x27. And I�m not opposed to Mauser action. Buy I really want a Win M70 action.
Oldhippie: what you saw in my previous post was a sure sign of age creeping up on an already spent mind. My friend owns a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight XTR in 7x57mm and it has a 1x10 twist. The bottom line is, I screwed up that line in my post.
Your Full Stock CZ 550 in 7x57mm has a 1x8.66 twist, just like my CZ 550 American with the longer barrel. You might, if you handload, give some 160 grain Nosler Partitions a try with 48.3 grains of H414. My brother's CZ 550 Full Stock in 7x57mm puts three partitions into a .75 inch circle with that load. He has chronographed the load at 2,645 fps, which is pretty darned flat shooting for a 160 grain slug. Another 7x57mm fanatic likes Reloader 19 with the heavier bullets. A friend of my brother also owns a CZ 550 Full Stock in 7x57mm and his rifle loves 162 grain Hornady SSTs with 48.3 grains of powder. His is loaded out to 3.270 inches overall lenghth. The fellow tells me he can shoot the heads off of Texas turkies at 100 yards with that rig and load. Also said it is deadly on deer and hogs.
I appologize for the wrong twist rate on the other post. I hope this clears the matter up. The attachment show the kind of groups I can get with my CZ 550 American with the 162 grain Hornady SSTs and H414 powder. In my rifle and my brother's friend's rifle, that combination goes together like peanut butter and jelly. Tom Purdom
cole k: you never indicated if you would consider an already made Winchester Model 70 Featherweight XTR in 7x57mm. There's one on the auction block right now on GunBroker.com. It is listed under 82583724.
Cole, These factory models if I am remembering correctly have the bolt stop adjusted for .257 Roberts or 7x57 with a slightly shorter magazine follower! If you need a 7x57 over a 7-08 for your perfect rifle, one of these already made up for this length would be the one to start with even if you have it rebarreled later.
....Tom, Those are some sweet groups you got there! The 7X57 with 160 grain bullets at those speeds, and with that accuracy, well it's no wonder the old Mauser 7mm has you won over! Thanks for sharing..Ian
Kenster, Is that a Brno model 22? It is a mighty sweet looking rig, thats for sure. I wish my CZ550FS had stock lines more like that. The Euro Bavarian style the 550FS features is about first kin to a fence post! At least to my eye... .....And Kenster that great old Weaver scope on your rig really looks right too!
Mauser, I'm not going to start this until after deer season and that's in late January. I'm not opposed to a Model 70 Winchester Featherweight XTR or a CZ 550 or a Ruger in this caliber. Winchesters are high right right now. But I know where I can get a Winchester Long Action cheap. CZ 550s or a Rugers in this caliber are rare and Winchesters are rarer.
Cole-- Another option would be to build it off a Montana Rifle Company action. The short MRC magazine box is about 3.1", which would be perfect for a 7x57. The downside of the MRC action is that it is heavy, so that is a serious strike against it if you are trying to build a lightweight gun.
Cole, I had the exact rifle, a win 70, shilen barrel and mcmillan fwt stock. sold it to a lucky fellow. You could easily do the same one you find a donor action.
Thanks, Bob I talked to a buddy of mine yesterday and he is going to bring me a pre-64 action when he comes home for Thanksgiving. He say the action is less than $500.
A pre-64 is even better! I used IT&D lately for three barrels and they do great work at a great price. You put put together a nice rifle for $1500 or so, not including scope.
Bob, if I can get this done for $1,500 I will be happy as a lark. As for a scope I have a couple of Luepy 2x7's laying around that I think will fit nicely.
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